Passages Devotional: Wrestling Match
“Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.”Colossians 4:12
New believers need your prayers. They lack the inner strength and insight that comes with maturity, leaving them vulnerable to external pressures and struggles in the Christian life.
Paul prayed continually for the new believers he knew (1 Thessalonians 1:2). He even prayed for others he had never met, such as the believers in Colossae (Colossians 2:1, 2). A co-worker named Epaphras joined Paul by “always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in the will of God, mature and fully assured” (Colossians 4:12).
Too often our prayers sound more like a grocery list than a wrestling match. We are busy listing our desires rather than struggling on behalf of others’ spiritual well being. Perhaps that’s because we fail to recognize the struggle that others experience or the power of prayer to make a difference.
Thought
Spiritual wrestling begins on your knees.
Take a Step
Pray for new believers, recognizing the battle they face. Pray through Colossians 1:9-12 on their behalf.
“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”Colossians 1:9-12
Other passages to use include Ephesians 1:15-19; 3:14-21; Philippians 1:9-11; 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 13.
Share other scripture verses that have helped you wrestle in prayer for others.
Bonus
READ: Colossians 1:3-14 >>
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.Week 4: The Mentor
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